energy pick ‘n’ mix activityenergy sources. non-renewable energy sources (except nuclear)...

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ENERGY PICK ‘N’ MIX ACTIVITYKS3

edfenergy.com/hpcinspire of 17 Written May 2020

Energy Pick ‘n’ Mix activity KS3

TEACHER NOTES

WARM-UP (10 mins)

Part 1: It’s electric!

Do you know what electricity is? Omit this section if a recap of the basics isn’t needed. Electricity is created when tiny invisible things called electrons move. This flow is called an electric current.

We’re Hinkley Point C’s Education Programme in Somerset and the wider South West region. And we’re here to help young people take advantage of the huge opportunities that the construction and

operation of HPC has to offer. We do this through a range of fun and innovative activities: including hands-on STEM workshops, careers assemblies and online learning resources.

HPC Inspire

Lesson overviewIn this activity, students learn about the energy mix; the sources that we use in the UK to generate electricity – and the pros/cons of these – and the factors that have influenced the UK’s energy mix over time.

Learning objectives Understand the important role electricity plays in our lives – and what we can do to reduce our use of energy

Explore how electricity is generated in a power station Learn about the advantages/disadvantages of different renewable and non-renewable energy sources

Appreciate the impact that human activity has on the planet through pollution and climate change

Consider the UK’s mix of energy sources over time Learn about the variety of jobs in the energy industry

SubjectsScience (Chemistry / Physics)GeographyPSHE

Gatsby Benchmarks2: Learning from career and labour market information: Find out about the wide variety of jobs in the energy industry.4. Linking curriculum learning to careers: Find out how Science and Geography could lead to a career in energy.

Timings Warm-up: 10 mins Main activity: 40-60 mins Careers in energy: 10 mins

Materials and set-upThis Activity Pack contains the following materials:

Teacher notes Student worksheet

This activity can be used in the classroom, led by a teacher. Or share the Worksheet with students for independent learning, with additional support provided in the Teacher notes.

http://edfenergy.com/hpcinspire



TEACHER NOTES

Can you see electricity? Or hear it?

Can you remember what these structures are called? They’re pylons and they carry electricity above ground from where it’s generated to businesses and homes. Electricity can also be carried underground through pipes.

Do you use electricity at home?Ask students: How do you know it’s in your home, if you can’t see it?

Electricity comes into our homes through power cables. We can’t see it. But we are able to use it by plugging in things like our PlayStations, TVs and kettles to power sockets in the walls. Electricity also powers our lights.




TEACHER NOTES

Some people use electricity to heat their home and charge their car too.

Did you know? From 2035, you won’t be able to buy a petrol, diesel or hybrid car. Instead we’ll be driving electric or some other type of powered car. Imagine being able to recharge your car at home, in a car park or even on the street.

Part 2: 1-minute challenge!

Ask students to write down in their Worksheet as many things they can think of in the home that need electricity to operate. It might be something they use (e.g. a games console or phone charger). Or it could be something other people in their family use (e.g. oven, heater etc).

Have a brief discussion about what they’ve included on their list – did everything they include use electricity? Are there any unusual things they’ve included? Make clear the distinction between battery-operated or gas-powered devices, and those that use electricity.




TEACHER NOTES

Part 2: How we generate electricity

Most of our electricity is supplied by generators in power stations.Does anybody know how this works? Invite students to answer.

Electricity is created by spinning a magnet inside a coil of copper wire. We call this a generator. The magnet moves the tiny electrons and that makes an electrical current.

The magnets need to move really fast to generate electricity. How do you think this is done?

The generator is connected to turbines, which make it spin. This picture shows the turbines inside a nuclear power station (point to the circular discs). They are made up of lots of blades and they spin 3,000 times a minute!

Ask everyone to click their fingers.

Did you know… In the time it’s taken you to click your fingers, they will have spun 50 times!




TEACHER NOTES

THE MAIN ACTIVITY(40-60 mins)

Part 1: Where do we get our power from?

All generators need an energy source to create electricity.Ask students: Can you name the energy sources in your Worksheet?From (top, left-right): solar, wind, hydro (water), nuclear, wave, biofuel, coal, gas, geothermal, tidal and oil.




TEACHER NOTES

There are lots of differences between these energy resources. One of the main differences is that some are renewable. And some are non-renewable.

Renewable energy resources will never run out. They can be replaced and are a natural source of energy.

Non-renewable energy resources won’t last forever, as they’re based on materials we get from the Earth. So they will run out at some point and cannot be replaced when they’re all used up.

Ask students to fill in the table on their Worksheet based on whether they think the energy resources on the previous page are renewable or non-renewable.

RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE

Solar

Wind

Wave

Hydro

Biofuel

Geothermal

Tidal

NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE

Coal

Oil

Gas

Nuclear

What are non-renewable energy resources?Although there are fewer of them, most of the electricity we get in the world comes from non-renewable resources. And has done for many, many years.

Coal, oil and gas are non-renewable energy sources, and they’re collectively known as fossil fuels. They’re formed from the remains of plants and animals: coal was formed from dead trees and plants; while oil and gas were formed from the remains of marine life that died millions of years ago. When fossil fuels are used up, they’ve gone forever. Although they could be replenished, it would take much too long.

Burning fossil fuels produces pollution – because it releases gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. This increases the greenhouse effect and is making the Earth warmer (global warming). This is having an impact on our climate (climate change). Examples of climate change include:

Warmer temperatures and more rain in wetter places A rise in sea levels Melting glaciers around the world, and ice in the Arctic and Antarctic Changes in the behaviour of wildlife.




TEACHER NOTES

Nuclear is a different type of non-renewable energy resource.Nuclear is also a non-renewable energy resource. This is because it uses a metal mined from the ground called uranium. But it’s different to fossil fuels because it doesn’t release any carbon dioxide to generate electricity.

The big difference is that in a nuclear power station, heat is produced to spin the turbines using a nuclear reaction (see the image above) rather than burning any fuel. So it’s known as a low-carbon energy source. Show this film exploring how nuclear power is generated if you want to explore this topic in more detail.

Renewable energy resources don’t cause pollution.Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy resources don’t create carbon dioxide emissions or pollution to generate electricity. So they don’t contribute to climate change.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iQBMyGmg-8&list=PLXeIrBe86r_K1Czba0ZOnMbkGChwu7pYb&index=7&t=0s



TEACHER NOTES

They’re also important because they won’t run out (like fossil fuels). So as our demand for electricity increases – as more of us start driving electric cars and heating our homes this way – we’ll need to rely more on other energy sources to meet demand. These are some of the reasons why many countries – like the UK – are switching to generate more electricity from renewable energy sources.

Non-renewable energy sources (except nuclear) generate electricity by burning fossil fuels to create heat. What’s interesting about renewable energy sources, however, is that they create electricity in different ways:

Wind power converts the energy from the movement of the wind to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

Wave power converts the energy from the movement of waves to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

Tidal power converts the energy from the pull of the tides to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

Part 2: Quiz time!Test how much students remember about renewable and non-renewable energy resources with the quiz in their Worksheet.

1. Q. What material is a source of nuclear power?A. Uranium. This is a very special metal as it contains lots of unstable atoms (it’s a radioactive material). We need this to create a nuclear reaction and produce heat.

2. Q. What type of energy generation relies on the movement of water?A. Hydro power – also known as hydroelectric power – uses energy created from falling water. This runs through turbines, connected to a generator, and produces electricity. It’s a renewable form of energy, as water won’t run out. But we’re limited geographically by how many hydro power plants we can have in the UK.

3. Q. What are coal, oil and gas collectively known as?A. Fossil fuels because they’re formed from the remains of plants and animals from millions of years ago.

4. Q. Burning coal, oil and gas releases what?A. Carbon dioxide. It also releases other gases, like sulfur dioxide. These gases produce pollution and are contributing to climate change.

5. Q. How does wind power work?A. Wind turbines use the wind to turn their blades. This turns a central shaft that drives a generator to produce electricity.

6. Q. In a nuclear power station, how is heat generated?A. Through a nuclear reaction. This releases a tremendous amount of heat, which turns water into steam and drives the turbines to creates electricity.

7. Q. Give one reason why we need to generate more electricity from renewable energy resources.A. Renewable power resources don’t produce pollution. So they don’t contribute to climate change. Fossil fuels are also running out. So we need to find alternative ways of generating electricity to meet demand from homes and businesses.

Hydro power converts the energy from moving water to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

Geothermal power converts the thermal energy from hot water and steam underground to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

Solar power converts the Sun’s energy directly into electricity.

Ask students to complete the ‘What happens next?’ challenge in their Worksheet.




TEACHER NOTES

Part 3: Pick ‘n’ mix

We don’t rely on just one power source for electricity. Since we began using electricity more than a hundred years ago, we’ve used a combination of different energy resources in the UK. We call this combination the energy mix.

We need a ‘mix’ because:

No single energy source will power all our lights (or gadgets) They all have strengths and weaknesses.

The two pie charts opposite show how much the UK’s energy mix has changed over the decades. For instance, we’re no longer reliant on mainly one fuel (coal) – as we were in the 1950s – to produce electricity. There are also a lot more energy resources in the mix since 2000. And you can also see the share of electricity generated from low-carbon energy resources – such as renewables and nuclear – has increased in recent decades.

The UK’s energy mix in 1950

The UK’s energy mix in 2008

47%Gas

32%Coal

1%Other

1%Hydro

5% Other (includes renewables)

13%Nuclear

1%Oil

3%Hydro and oil

97%Coal




TEACHER NOTES

Our energy mix has changed over the years for a number of reasons:

Government rules: In recent decades, the Government has said it wants to use more renewable energy resources to meet its climate change targets.

Price: The price of fossil fuels has gone up and down over time. For example, in the early 1970s, oil became really cheap so the UK switched to using more oil at the start of that decade.

New technologies: The UK started to use more nuclear from the 1960s onwards; while in the 1990s, gas became a significant source as the first gas-fired generation plant was built at the start of the decade.

Geography and climate: You need hills and windy areas for wind power to work, for instance. And sunny weather for solar!

Now it’s your turn... Look at each of the pie charts in your Worksheet. These represent the energy mix in different years. Using the clues and what you’ve just learnt about the factors that have affected the UK’s energy mix over time, can you label each of them with the correct energy resources?

Note: The Government’s statistics group ‘renewables’ together as one energy source. So flag this up with students for pie chart 3 onwards (i.e. they don’t need to break each renewable technology out separately on their pie charts).

1. The UK’s energy mix in 2018 2. How did renewables contribute to the UK’s energy mix in 2018?

NB: We have rounded up the stats, so it doesn’t quite represent 100%. The Government stats for the UK’s energy mix are released every July. If you want to update the pie chart, you can find the most recent here. Click into each year you want to review, and then scroll down to the report labelled ‘Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES): Electricity’.

Did you know... Renewables generated a record share of electricity generation in 2018 – up 4% from the previous year. Ask students if they were aware that wind was the biggest provider of renewable electricity? Have they seen any wind turbines? What about solar farms?

40%Gas

40%Gas

5%Coal

3%Other

33% Renewables)

20%Nuclear

32%Bioenergy

28%Onshore wind

24%Offshore wind

12%Solar

5%Hydro


https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes



TEACHER NOTES

3. The UK’s energy mix in 2006


In the early 2000s, we were still heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Although the role of oil had declined in recent decades.

Nuclear power generated a fifth of our electricity.

Until the 1970s, the UK had been reliant on coal – so this was still an important part of the energy mix at the start of the 1970s.

Oil became a major source of electricity generation in the early part of the 1970s. But it became less dominant towards the end of the decade as oil became very expensive (following the 1973 oil crisis – you could explain what this was, if time).

Gas wasn’t a big contributor to our energy mix in the 1970s.

Nuclear also started to contribute more to our energy mix from the 1960s onwards.

31%Gas

2%Gas

41%Coal

20%Nuclear

1%Oil

6% Other (incs hydro and renewables)

56%Coal

1%Hydro

12%Nuclear

29%Oil




TEACHER NOTES


We were still reliant on coal in the 1990s as a major fuel source.

But for the first time, oil had been overtaken by another fossil fuel (gas). Gas became a significant energy source for electricity after the first gas-fired generation plant was built at the start of the 1990s. This was called the ‘dash for gas’ as more electricity companies turned to this fuel source for generating electricity.

Oil, on the other hand, saw its role in the UK’s energy mix dwindle progressively after this, year on year.

6. The UK’s energy mix in 2050 This is a trick question, as we’re asking you to estimate what our energy mix might be in the future! 2050 is an important date though, as it’s the date by which the Government has committed to achieving ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions. This means our energy mix needs to be entirely reliant on low-carbon energy sources, like renewables and nuclear, by this date.

What do you think the phrase ‘net-zero’ means? It means that the amount of carbon dioxide emissions released in the UK – from activities like generating electricity, transport and heating – is balanced by how much carbon we can ‘remove’, using all sorts of new technologies.

What’s so important about the year 2050? The net-zero target for 2050 was recommended by the Committee on Climate Change, an organisation that advises the Government. They believe that it could help prevent the world from warming up by more than 1.5ºC – as long as other countries also reduce their own carbon emissions. Although 1.5ºC doesn’t sound like much of a temperature increase, it’s widely acknowledged by scientists that global warming any higher than this could be catastrophic.

53%Coal

1%Other

29%Nuclear

8%Oil

9%Gas

20%Nuclear

80% Renewables




TEACHER NOTES

CAREERS IN ENERGY10 mins

Part 1: What jobs are involved in building a new power station?

Hinkley Point C (HPC) is the first new nuclear power station to be built in 25 years. And it’s really important because it will help the UK generate more power from low-carbon energy resources in the future.

HPC is also providing lots of new jobs. It’s a massive infrastructure project, which is creating about 25,000 job opportunities in total. HPC will still be in the construction phase by the time you leave school – so you could be one of the people that helps to build the new power station!

HPC has given me loads of opportunities to learn a trade and get paid. It’s suited

to me as while I love learning, I love actually doing something as well.

Sam, Civil Engineer Apprentice

“This project provides you with a unique opportunity to learn new skills and establish a foundation for your personal career.” Rob Jordan, Site Construction Director for Hinkley Point C




TEACHER NOTES

Read the rest of the article

Gemma is a Geotechnical SME (Subject Matter Expert), and has been working at HPC during its construction:

You’d be very surprised where you can be employed as a Geologist! I have worked in residential, rail, highways and energy so far. I like the mix of challenging my brain with technical queries and interpretative reporting, as well as field work and site supervision.

Spotlight on careers in construction

There are so many job opportunities involved in building a new nuclear power station:


https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geology-Career-Pathways/Careers/Career-Profiles/Geotechnical-SME-Profile



TEACHER NOTES

Part 2: Jobs in the low-carbon energy sector There will be all sorts of future careers in the energy sector. When HPC starts to generate electricity, for instance, there will be jobs for about 900 people to keep the power station running. And because we need more low-carbon sources in our future energy mix, it’s a growing and exciting area to work in that could give you a skillset for life and take you all over the world!

Working with new technologies and devices

Building robotic tools to repair or maintain equipment

Looking after wind or solar sites

Using virtual reality technology as part of your everyday job

Helping to ensure the safe generation of nuclear power

Planning the development of new wind farms




TEACHER NOTES

Find out more about Hinkley Point C and careers in the nuclear industry

Science: Electricity

Geography: Human and physical geography – describe and understand key aspects of: human geography, including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.

PSHE: Living in the wider world: L5. ways of carrying out shared responsibilities for protecting the environment in school and at home; how everyday choices can affect the environment (e.g. reducing, reusing, recycling; food choices).

Curriculum links

Ask students to complete the table in their Worksheet listing the pros and cons of different energy resources:

PROS

Low carbon Not likely to run out any time soon Reliable: provides baseload electricity Higher output and less land space required than for renewables

Reliable Flexible Fairly low-cost way to generate power

Low carbon; no pollution. The UK is also the windiest country in Europe

Offshore wind turbines can generate more electricity than onshore wind

Relatively low cost to run and no fuel costs

Low carbon; no pollution We get enough sunlight in the UK to make it a viable energy source

No fuel costs

CONS

Uses a non-renewable fuel (uranium) Building a nuclear power station is a big investment project, involving govern-ment and other organisations

Nuclear waste remains radioactive, so the waste products require long-term management in special facilities

Gas is a non-renewable resource, so it will run out

Not low carbon It produces pollution and contributes to climate change

Variable power source (no wind = no electricity)

Limited development onshore due to available land space

Offshore wind farms are trickier and more expensive to build

Variable (it doesn’t work well in cloud or at all at night)

Restricted by the amount of land space required

Solar power can’t be stored very easily or cheaply over a long period

ENERGY RESOURCE

Nuclear

Gas

Wind

Solar

Homework activitiesChoose from one of the following:

1. Research the UK’s energy mix for electricity and produce pie charts to illustrate the mix in 1970, 1995 and 2015 (Share this dataset with students)

2. Research the pros and cons of the following energy resources: nuclear, gas, wind and solar. (Students could use the Pod’s Power the UK game and/or BBC Bitesize for Science and Geography if they need further guidance.)


https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/nuclear-new-build-projects/hinkley-point-c

https://guest.startprofile.com/article/135

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/historical-electricity-data

http://www.jointhepod.org/teachers/games/power-the-uk-game

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zggk87h/revision/1

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zjsc87h

edfenergy.com/hpcinspirePage 1 of 7 Written May 2020

STUDENT WORKSHEET


WARM-UP

1-minute challenge!Write down in one minute as many things as you can think of in your home that need electricity to operate.

THE MAIN ACTIVITYPart 1: Where do we get our power from?Can you name the energy sources in these pictures?



STUDENT WORKSHEET


What happens next?Fill in the blanks to explain how electricity is generated from each energy resource.

RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES: NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES:

Which of the energy resources on the previous page are renewable or non-renewable?Fill in the table below with your answers.

1. Wind power converts the energy from to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

2. Wave power converts the energy from to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

3. Tidal power converts the energy from to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

4. Hydro power converts the energy from to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

5. Geothermal power converts the thermal energy from to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

6. Solar power converts directly into electricity.



STUDENT WORKSHEET


Part 2: Quiz time!Test how much you know about renewable and non-renewable energy resources in this quick quiz.

1. Q. What material is a source of nuclear power?

A.

5. Q. How does wind power work?

A.

7. Q. Give one reason why we need to generate more electricity from renewable energy resources.

A.

6. Q. In a nuclear power station, how is heat generated?

A. 2. Q. What type of energy generation relies on the movement of water?

A.

4. Q. Burning coal, oil and gas releases what?

A.

3. What are coal, oil and gas collectively known as?

A.



STUDENT WORKSHEET


Part 3: Pick ‘n’ mix

Look at the pie charts below for the UK’s energy mix. Using the clues and what you’ve just learnt, can you work out which percentage matches each energy source?

40%

32% 1%

33%

20%

Gas:

Coal:

Renewables:

Nuclear:

Other fuels:

Onshore wind:

Offshore wind:

Hydro:

Solar:

Bioenergy:

40%Gas32%

28%

24%

12%

5%


2. What was our renewables energy mix in 2018?

Clue: The UK’s main energy source is still a fossil fuel.Clue: Renewables contributed a record amount to electricity generation in 2018.

Clue: We have more onshore than offshore wind farmsClue: Bioenergy has replaced coal in some old power stations (and there were a lot of old coal power stations!)



STUDENT WORKSHEET


Nuclear:

Oil:

Gas:

Coal:

Other: (includes hydro and renewables)

Hydro:

Gas:

Oil:

Nuclear:

Coal:



Clue: In the early 2000s, we were still heavily reliant on fossil fuels.Clue: Nuclear power generated a fifth of electricity in this year.

31%

41%20%

1%

6%

2%

31%Gas

56%

1%

12%

29%

Clue: Until the 1970s, the UK had been reliant on coal, so this was still an important part of the energy mix at the start of the 1970s.Clue: Another fossil fuel became a major source of electricity generation in the early part of the 1970s… Can you name it?Clue: Gas wasn’t a big contributor to our energy mix in the 1970s.



STUDENT WORKSHEET


Nuclear:

Renewables:


Clue: The UK wants to achieve ‘net-zero’ emissions by 2050. This means we need to be 100% reliant on low-carbon energy sources by this date... How much do you think each low-carbon energy source will contribute to the energy mix?

Clue: The main energy source was also popular in the 1950s

Clue: For the first time, oil was overtaken by another fossil fuel. Can you guess which one?


53%

1%

29%

8%

9%

Oil:

Gas:

Other:

Nuclear:

Coal:


20%

80%




STUDENT WORKSHEET


HOMEWORK ACTIVITIESChoose from one of the following:

1. Research the UK’s energy mix for electricity and produce pie charts to illustrate the mix in 1970, 1995 and 2015 (this dataset will help).

2. Research the pros and cons of the following energy resources: nuclear, gas, wind and solar (Try the Pod’s Power the UK game and BBC Bitesize for Science and Geography if you’re stuck.)


PROS CONSENERGY RESOURCE

Nuclear

Gas

Wind

Solar


https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/historical-electricity-data



https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zggk87h/revision/1

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zjsc87h

https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/nuclear-new-build-projects/hinkley-point-c

https://guest.startprofile.com/article/135

energy pick ‘n’ mix activityenergy sources. non-renewable energy sources (except nuclear)...

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